Agencies tried to help tragic pensioner Edward Hedley, but were met with fierce opposition from his son.

William Hedley, 64, was on Thursday jailed for 18 months after being convicted of eight counts of neglect in the run-up to the death of his 91-year-old father, who died in hospital in January 2013.

The Newcastle Safeguarding Adults Board has now published the findings of a Serious Case Review carried out after Mr Hedley’s death.

The report outlines how despite repeated attempts by the authorities to help Mr Hedley, his independent nature and determined opposition from his son made it near impossible for agencies to assist him.

And the report’s independent author, Tom Wood, said the case was so rare and extreme it was unlikely that there would be a similar set of circumstances.

Mr Wood said: “It is hard to envisage that public services will soon again encounter such trenchant resistance to such obviously necessary care for a vulnerable adult.

“It is difficult to make meaningful recommendations from such an extreme case since it is unlikely that such circumstance would recur in the near future.

“However it is important that any death in such tragic circumstances is fully considered so that lessons can be learned.”

Mr Hedley senior was admitted to hospital on December 24, 2012 suffering from severe pressure sores, and subsequently died on January 12, 2013. A Home Office post mortem was carried out which found that he had died as a result of neglect.

His son, of Royal Crescent in Fenham, Newcastle was convicted of neglect of an adult lacking in mental capacity at Newcastle Crown Court on February 2 and sentenced on Thursday.

This is one of just a handful of cases where a relative or family member has been prosecuted under Section 44 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

The Serious Case Review finds that Mr Hedley was a very independent man. This was evident from his first contact with hospital services in 2005, where he declined medical advice, ongoing medication and care.

The report also outlines how the intervention of Mr Hedley’s son made it very difficult for the authorities to provide appropriate support to him, with William Hedley doing everything in his power to prevent access or treatment and going to considerable trouble and expense to achieve this.

Vida Morris, the independent chair of the Newcastle Safeguarding Adults Board, said: “This is a tragic case and a matter of huge regret to all the agencies who made determined efforts to try to help Mr Hedley.

“Whilst it is difficult to see what could have been done in the face of such deliberate obstruction, it is very important that we have explored the actions that were taken to ensure that lessons are learnt.

“Given the rarity of such a prosecution, it is hoped that learning can be shared nationally as well as locally.

“All the recommendations in the report are accepted and resulting actions have either been fully implemented or are nearing completion.”